The Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) has mandated the Department of Agriculture to temporarily reinstate nearly 6,000 probationary employees who were terminated as part of the Trump administration’s federal workforce reduction strategy. This decision allows the affected employees to resume their duties for a 45-day period.
The administration’s recent directive to dismiss probationary employees aimed to streamline government operations and reduce expenditures. However, the Office of Special Counsel (OSC) challenged these terminations, asserting they were not based on individual performance but were instead part of a broader restructuring initiative. The MSPB concurred with the OSC’s assessment, leading to the temporary reinstatement order.
Special Counsel Hampton Dellinger emphasized that federal agencies are best positioned to identify employees affected by such mass terminations, stating:
“Agencies are best positioned to determine the employees impacted by these mass terminations…That’s why I am calling on all federal agencies to voluntarily and immediately rescind any unlawful terminations of probationary employees. Voluntarily rescinding these hasty and apparently unlawful personnel actions is the right thing to do and avoids the unnecessary wasting of taxpayer dollars.”
This development underscores the ongoing tension between the administration’s efforts to restructure the federal workforce and the legal protections afforded to federal employees. The 45-day reinstatement period provides an opportunity for further review and resolution of the employment status of the affected USDA workers.
